2017 Marathon Calendar

Everyone likes to feel special, so some marathons go the (nonliteral) extra mile to please all parts of the pack. Special prerace amenities and rewards for swift finishes entice faster folks. Finish-line cheering sections that stay put buoy back-of-the-packers. Wide boulevards and long water stops ease the congestion felt by midpackers. Such details matter—and can spell the difference between a race-day experience to remember and one you’d rather forget. On the following pages, find your perfect marathon match.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon

Great for: Fast folks

Set a new age-group record and you’ll score $100. Since the race is relatively small (3,000 marathoners) and fairly new (four years old), fast-for-their-age entrants vie for cash. “I created the concept to encourage the really good agegroupers who no longer compete for overall money,” says executive race director Jim Chaney. Participants run an out-and-back course through Canton and past the Football Hall of Fame (which gives exclusive runner access during race weekend). Finish with a tailgate-style postrace party, replete with burgers, brats, wings, and beer.

Bellingham Bay Marathon

Great for: Fast folks

Runners just shy of super-fast can qualify for elite status (2:35 for men and 3:05 for women last year), which comes with free entry and lodging. The race starts with singers, dancers, and drummers from the Lummi Nation, a local Native American tribe, followed by six miles on Lummi land and stunning views of 10,781-foot Mount Baker.

San Francisco Marathon

Great for: Fast folks

For more than two decades, the City on the Bay’s namesake marathon has included a “sub-seed” category. Men and women under age 40 must qualify with a sub-2:55 marathon and a sub-3:20, respectively. (Athletes over 40 have more generous standards.) Sub-seed entrants start directly behind the pros and receive discounted entry. The course passes through several of the city’s green spaces and climbs—a lot. In conquering San Francisco’s legendary hills, runners rack up 900 feet of elevation gain. The scenery takes a bit of the sting out: The field of 9,500 marathoners runs along the Embarcadero, over the Golden Gate Bridge, through the lively Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, and past the home field for the San Francisco Giants.

Houston Marathon

Great for: Mid-packers

The only bottleneck you’ll encounter is the one created on purpose: Volunteers check every bib as runners enter the corrals to ensure that the 27,000 half- and full-marathoners who begin together are arranged fastest first, so after the start, traffic jams aren’t an issue. The course, which follows the widest roads in and around the city, avoids aid-station chaos by including 850 feet of fluid tables at every stop in the early miles, and 400 feet of hydration after the 13,500 half-marathoners peel off at mile eight. Enjoy a flat and fast trip (the overpasses are the only real hills in Houston), and keep an eye out for belly dancers, Elvis impersonators, and cheerleaders along the way.

Shamrock Marathon

Great for: Mid-packers

While 30,000 runners descend on Virginia Beach for race weekend, only 3,500 do the full 26.2. That means midpackers get the best of both worlds—a bumpin’ postrace party and a congestion-free route that includes six miles of oceanfront, 10 miles through neighborhoods, and another five through a military base. You’ll pass several historic sites, including the spot where John Smith and other Jamestown colonists landed in 1607, and the Cape Henry Lighthouse, one of the country’s oldest.

Bayshore Marathon

Great for: Mid-packers

With more than 1,000 volunteers turning out to support 2,550 runners, Traverse City shows its marathoners some love. Participants enjoy 18 miles along Grand Traverse Bay, filled with boats and shorebirds. Expect a sweet treat at the finish. The Old Mission Women’s Club bakes cookies, and a local ice cream shop dishes out scoops.

Jacksonville Marathon

Great for: Mid-packers

Billed as the fastest marathon in the South, Jacksonville has a grand total of 20 feet of elevation gain from start to finish. Fewer than 1,000 runners tackle the full, but 1,000 half-marathoners will keep you company during the first eight miles. The lollipop-shaped course winds through shady neighborhoods lined with magnolia and oak trees for much of the race. Average temps are in the mid-50s, but since this is Florida, prep for warmer, humid conditions.

Missoula Marathon

Great for: Back-of-the-packers

Not only does this course have a generous 7.5-hour cutoff time, but back-of-the- packers are guaranteed a boisterous, rowdy cheering section. Members of Run Wild Missoula, a local running club, line the finish area and ring their cowbells and bang their clappers until the bitter end. The 1,100 marathoners run by alfalfa fields, through pine forests, and over the Clark Fork and Bitterroot River as they navigate the point-to-point course. And although the northern Rockies are visible from the entire course, there’s only one noticeable climb, right at the halfway point—and it’s only 400 meters long.

Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Great for: Back-of-the-packers

If you’re struggling in the final 10K of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, look for the red shirts lining the streets. Volunteers known as Bonnie’s Dream Team will run with you as far as necessary, offering encouragement and much-needed distraction. Bonnie Fowler started the group in 2013 after a friend jumped in to help her complete her first marathon; after that, she vowed to give back to help other runners. The 5,000-strong field weaves through downtown Toronto before following the Lake Ontario waterfront, where fall colors are on full display.

Honolulu Marathon

Great for: Back-of-the-packers

Take 14 hours to finish (people have!) and there will still be volunteers around. “The no cutoff time is in the spirit of Aloha [the Hawaiian word for ‘love’ or ‘kindness’],” says Valerie Lawson, a representative for the race. All 16 aid stations stay open until the final participant passes.

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